Shayna Han

Shayna Han

Shayna Han (she/her) grew up in New York. The intersection of Judaism and social justice is a deep and abiding part of Shayna's life and identity: she was involved with NFTY, Urban Mitzvah Corps, Crane Lake Camp, Hillel, Birthright, Masa Israel Teaching Fellows, and the RAC's very own L’Taken and Machon Kaplan programs. Shayna graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Union College. She earned the Minerva Prize her senior year for her history thesis on watershed literary heroine Nancy Drew and her work to establish the Committee for Consent Education (a group dedicated to combating sexual assault). After graduation, Shayna interned for U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in New York City and earned a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certification. From 2016-2021 she lived in Spain, Israel, and South Korea, teaching English to elementary school students. Her experiences abroad enriched her cultural knowledge by allowing her to learn different languages, meet new people, and experience different foods, holidays, and beliefs.

Shayna’s portfolio includes gun violence prevention, environment and climate change, Israel, foreign policy, antisemitism, the Holocaust, international religious freedom, and Native American rights. She is proud to be in the first cohort of the Jews of Color Initiative partnership with the RAC LA program.  

 

 

Face mask with a map of the world printed on it
Environment and Climate Change

Clean Air Must Be a Right, Not a Privilege

Shayna Han
I spent the first year of the pandemic in South Korea, but even before the pandemic, I wore masks because of the bad air days. South Korea's rapid transition from a war-torn nation to an industrial superpower with a GDP equivalent to the State of New York exacted a terrible cost on Korean air quality.
sukkot lulav and etrog
Sukkot

The Concept of “Home" Defined Through Chuseok and Sukkot

Shayna Han
When I lived in South Korea, my Korean family celebrated and taught me about Chuseok, the Korean fall festival holiday. During Chuseok, many Koreans travel back to their hometowns, spend time with their families, and cook and eat a lot of traditional foods. Chuseok is often referred to as "Korean Thanksgiving," but I think Chuseok more strongly resembles Sukkot.